From time to time many Christians lose sight of who they are in God’s eyes. In I Peter 2, Peter gives us 
at least seven reminders regarding who the child of God really is.
- He is chosen (I Peter 2:9). As sinful as we have been, and even though we have let God down so many times, He has chosen us!
- He makes up the royal priesthood (vs. 9). In Old Testament times there were priests picked because of the family they had come from – the tribe of Levi. Although there are to be no priests in this New Testament age that function as did the Old Testament priest, each believer is a priest. They can go directly to the Lord in prayer for themselves and others, as did the Old Testament priests. They can give their life for the needs of others. We are born into the royal family of God and can boldly go to the throne room of God.
- He makes up a “holy nation” (vs. 9). With their sins all forgiven, in God’s sight we are a holy people. We are not better than anyone else. We are not perfect. However, by the grace of God, in His eyes, we are holy.
- He is a peculiar person (vs. 9). A Christian should think, act, and live differently than the unsaved. In the eyes of the unsaved, the Christian is odd because he is not living like the world and is doing his best to obey God’s commandments.
- He is a part of the “people of God” (vs. 10). A Christian belongs to the largest family in the world — the family of God.
- He is a stranger in this world (vs. 11). “Strangers” in the Old Testament were Gentiles that lived with the Jews. They were around the Jews, but they were not the same as they. They were tolerated, but they were different. The Christian, because of his adoption into the family of God, lives among the lost in this world, but does not quite fit in with them.
- He is a pilgrim (vs. 11). A pilgrim is one who is traveling through a certain place without a permanent abode. The Christian is bound for Heaven and just “passing through” this temporary life.
Instead of being envious of what the world is doing, and what they temporarily have, we need to remember a born-again person is a child of God. By God’s grace we have far more than we deserve. We are on the winning side. Let the lost follow our example, rather than our following theirs — the losing side. Be proud if you are a Christian, not indecisive and trying to live in both worlds.
I agree! To me, the closer you are to the original (the oldest copied manuscripts), the better the translation is!
What’s interesting, next semester I’m taking a class on “How we got the Bible” and the purpose of the class is to present both sides of the debate (KJV only or any perversion after that) and the class (each person) decides what they believe and why.
Years ago I believed that as long as a person read the bible, it shouldn’t matter what translation he/she used. Now though, since you and someone else opened my eyes to the importance of KJV only, I try to defend it at all times!
That sounds like a very dangerous class: “each person decides what they believe and why?” God either preserved it or he did not. If He did, and one is using another perversion, then the decider is wrong. If God did not preserve it, then we’re all in trouble, as no one would know for sure if he is saved, what God wants them to do, where the truth is, and that God is a liar (because He promised that we would always have His Word with us).
I highly recommend “Landmarks of English Bible Manuscript Evidence” by Pastor Robert J. Sargent. (Google it!) Knowing which is the right Bible is paramount! If one doesn’t know where the real Word of God is then, in my opinion, he has no business in the pulpit!!!
I sound harsh, but if you study it you will find that many of the denominations (Methodists, many Baptists, Presbyterian …) were biblically straight in the 1910-1930’s). Then they went doctrinally south, at the same time they started using the Westcott-Hort based translations! And most of the young pastors got that Alexandrian philosophy (that God didn’t preserve His Word, or that it is subject to interpretation) from their college. If a college was not dogmatic about the basic where-is-the-Word-of-God I would seriously pray about leaving the institution before I was further contaminated.
Bro. Bill,
Have you heard of Westcott and Hort? They lived in the 1800’s and I believe their behind all the perversions of the English bibles beginning around 1885…. until now!
Yes, I know about the damage they did to Christianity today and the doubt they have placed on where the real Bible is. Close to 100%, if not totally 100% (I’m just saying that in case there is a perversion I am not aware of) of Bible perversions use the Westcott & Hort text as a basis for translation and revision. What they used is not the Masorectic and Textus Recptus that the King James uses. They use Alexandrian (Egpyt) texts, mostly found in the Vaticanus (Catholic) And Sinaticus texts which are, despite what Westcott and Hort proclaim, are 150 years newer than the Textus Receptus. The manuscripts were rejected by the early church, which explains why it was in such good condition, when it was found in the burning bin of a Catholic monastery.
Also, Westcott and Hort were not believers. IF anything, they leaned towards Catholicism. Yet, all the versions insist on using their corrupt text, expecially when there is any question. Even the NKJV uses it in many places.
“He is a peculiar person (vs. 9). A Christian should think, act, and live differently than the unsaved. In the eyes of the unsaved, the Christian is odd because he is not living like the world and is doing his best to obey God’s commandments.”
Dear Fellow Believer,
If where you go to church is populated with people claiming to be saved but drinking, smoking, dressing and acting in a lewd manner, having filthy language…. run while you can! Find you a group of people that are peculiar and that live according to Biblical principals, whose biggest concern in this world is pleasing the Lord…not pleasing the world.
Chances are they will not be the country club set of folks, most of them may be poor by your standards. They will speak odd, behave oddly, and live oddly according to the customs of this popular culture.
Really, you don’t have another day to waste. Brother, you owe it to your wife and family to make this move.
Take it from a man that made that move, it will be the best thing you ever do.
Thanks Bro Brinkworth for writing the truth.